Rochester Democrat and Chronicle

‘At the top of that list is Ferguson who will almost certainly be re-signed to the Bills active roster, similar to how kick returner Andre Roberts returned to the Bills in 2020.’

‘Remember, the injured reserve rules from 2020 are still in effect: Unlimited players are eligible to return to play after being out a minimum three weeks. If McKenzie isn’t healthy, the Bills can put him on IR and bring him back as soon as the Week 4 game against Houston. At that point, then they’ll have a tough call if they demote Stevenson to the practice squad and risk losing him.’

‘The only thing hotter than the blazing summer sun beating down at Highmark Stadium was the Buffalo Bills star quarterback. Making his preseason debut, Allen completed his first nine passes against the Green Bay Packers and ultimately finished 20 of 26 for 194 yards and two touchdowns in two quarters of work.’

‘As McDermott alluded to, how long the starters play will be a fluid situation, but while they’re out there, it would be nice to see Allen and the offense put together a drive or two that indicates they’re ready to pick up where they left off in 2020. They’ve certainly looked sharp going against their own defense in camp.’

‘Two of those players, linebackers Matt Milano and A.J. Klein, were allowed to return to practice Wednesday because their contact was to a lesser degree. But Beasley, fellow wide receiver Gabriel Davis, and defensive tackles Vernon Butler and Star Lotulelei, will not be able to return until after Saturday’s game against the Packers, provided they continue to test negative.’

‘He was the starting left guard for 10 games counting the postseason, and according to Pro Football Focus grading, among guards the 92 guards who played at least 20% of his team’s regular-season snaps, Boettger ranked 35th in the NFL and was Buffalo’s top-rated guard, just ahead of Feliciano (40th) and well ahead of Ford (74th).’

‘“We’re starting over,” Daboll said Wednesday. “You equate it to people that like to climb mountains, right. Climb up but then maybe you get to the top, maybe you don’t get to the top. You start over the next mountain climb, so we’re really at the base of the mountain. Our expectations are just to go out there and do as good as we can do.”‘

‘”Unfortunately, we’re not out of this thing,” general manager Brandon Beane said. “I know the whole world’s ready to get past it. We’re moving in the right direction, but we still got a long way to go. It’s all hard. This has been going on so long, I was asked earlier what were my emotions? You just expect it and you deal with it. It’s the world we’re in and I’m not going to let it get me down. I wish we weren’t having to do this.”’

‘“That window of opportunity,” Smith continued, “you’ve got to take advantage of it because once that window closes, you never know when it’s going to come back again. It’s critical that everyone does everything in their power to take advantage of this window with this special talent that we have on this team, and make it count.”’

‘“You could tell that the confidence was there right away,” Hollister said, recalling that first weekend he spent with Allen. “One of the biggest things I remember is that he wanted to show me his highlight tape on his phone. Right then and there I knew this kid was confident and had ice in his veins.”‘

‘Now resetting his career as Allen’s backup, Trubisky has started Buffalo’s first two preseason games and after playing only two series and attempting two passes in the opener, Trubisky had to be licking his chops love when he saw offensive coordinator Brian Daboll’s game plan.’

‘“It’s good to be excited, but at the same time, we do have a lot of work to do,” McDermott said. “There’s certainly a lot from this game we can learn from and improve on. That’s why we go back and practice, and the guys know that. You’ve got to be able to stay consistent in this league or else it will eat you up. I thought it was a good performance today.”’

‘By now, you know the story. The Bears over-drafted Trubisky in 2017, trading all the way up to No. 2 overall to pick a player who’d been a full-time starter in college for just one year at North Carolina. Oh, and they picked Trubisky instead of Patrick Mahomes and Deshaun Watson, each of whom were taken a couple hours later in that first round.’

‘A 2021 sixth-round draft pick of the Buffalo Bills, Hamlin lost three of his close friends to bullets, senseless deaths that the police never solved. And in his own home, his father, Mario — trying to make ends meet for his wife Nina and Damar — turned to selling drugs. He got popped, was found guilty and spent 3½ of Damar’s formative years in prison, leaving his wife and son to fend for themselves.’

‘“But you keep pushing; God has a way of doing stuff and making things happen in your life so you can snap back and just like realize that, shoot, life can be over before you know it, regardless of what you made in life and what you did. You just got to just keep stepping and just do what’s right because you never know what tomorrow brings, really.”’